I find myself being drawn back in some sense to my early church roots. Drawn back to the theology of the Calvinists. There. I have said it. But what does that mean? I was asked recently what kind of understanding I had of Calvinism or Reformed theology. It dawned on me, that really, I could not articulate it well at all because I have never really given it any detailed consideration. As I think that a lack of doctrinal understanding is at the heart of so much misdirection within in our churches today I determined to do something challenging for my own benefit in this area.

Thus I am embarking on a journey of understanding the "Doctrines of Grace" as they are known. I love the internet for its ease of finding out pretty much anything you might want to know. So I typed in a search for "Reformed Theology Reading List" and this is what I got. http://www.ligonier.org/blog/10-books-and-one-letter-every-new-calvinist-needs-read/1. John Newton’s letter “On Controversy”2. John Calvin - Institutes of the Christian Religion.3. Robert Bruce - The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper.4. John Owen - The Mortification of Sin.5. Robert Letham – The Holy Trinity.6. Sinclair Ferguson – The Christian Life.7. J.V. Fesko – Justification.8. Cornelis Venema – The Promise of the Future.9. R.C. Sproul – Chosen by God.10. Roland Bainton – Here I Stand.11. Nathan Hatch – The Democratization of American Christianity.

There was another much lengthier list on GoodReads though I dropped a few of its suggestions including The Power of a Praying Wife and one by Brother Lawrence.1 The Holiness of Godby R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) 2 Knowing God Knowing God by J.I. Packer 3 Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper (Goodreads Author) 4 Concise Theology by J.I. Packer 5 Here I Stand: A Life of Mar... Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton 6 The Potter's Freedom: A Defense of the Reformation and the Rebuttal of Norman Geisler's Choosen But Free by James R. White 7 On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther's Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 by Gerhard O. Forde 8 Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer 9 Jesus Told Me to Do What? Looking Beyond the Golden Rule by Peter Bakich 10 Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition by Kelly M. Kapic (Goodreads Author) 11 The Great Exchange by Jerry Bridges 12 Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne A. Grudem 13 Christ and Him Crucified Christ by Jon J. Cardwell (Goodreads Author) 14 The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges 15 Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner 16 Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification by R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) 17 Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer 18 The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis 19 Willing to Believe: The Controversy Over Free Will by R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) 20 Chosen by God Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) 21 The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer 22 A Severe Mercy A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken 23 Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright

I plan to blog about my reading list as I make my way through it. Just let me say from the outset that I do not like the labels and I cannot imagine that Luther, or Wesley or Calvin would be anymore thrilled about people carrying their names as an identifier than Paul was. I am simply being drawn back to some of the texts that helped to shape what we believe and to rediscover them for myself. I intend to be a Berean along the way as well and check them out with Scripture as my guide. So let the journey begin.